FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

During which acquisition stage do students primarily listen and respond non-verbally?

1. Early Production

2. Pre-production

3. Intermediate Fluency

4. Speech Emergent

The correct answer is: Pre-production

During the pre-production stage of language acquisition, students are primarily focused on listening and responding non-verbally. This stage is characterized by learners being in the initial phase of understanding a new language, typically characterized by their ability to comprehend language input but not yet produce much spoken output. Students may demonstrate their understanding through gestures, pointing, mimicking, and other forms of non-verbal communication. As they familiarize themselves with the sounds and structure of the language, their listening skills develop significantly. This foundational stage is crucial because it helps them build the necessary comprehension skills before moving on to more complex language usage. The ability to respond non-verbally allows students to engage in communication and demonstrate understanding without the pressure of speaking, fostering a positive learning environment and building confidence as they transition to later stages of language development.